What if Katherine never called?
by Something Illusory
Summary: —3x09 DE scene uninterrupted—  Her voice is a whisper. "We always survive."


Words can not express what she was feeling. About this. About Stefan. About Klaus. About anyone or anything. Her forehead crumbled as she choked out the words, "How could this happen?"

He turned toward her, arms extended. Damon was livid. "We thought of _everything_, Elena. Klaus having hybrids. Mikeal turning on us. We brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger." The angry tone of his voice grew louder and louder. She had to look away from him, crossing her arms and then turning to face him again. He shouts, "_ANYTHING_ that could have gone wrong, we were prepared." She can smell the bourbon on his breath, but only stand there as he drowned his sorrows. It was typical Damon, she knew, to drink. It brought him comfort. But now, it seemed, there was hardly an comfort at all. She felt vunerable. Betrayed. Annoyance. Frightened. Watching him take another swig, she offers her thoughts.

"I don't understand. Stefan wanted Klaus dead….more than _anything_." Her eyes burn into Damon, watching him pour another drink. Her face twists into a mask of disbelief. "That's what we were counting on!"

There is a milisecond of silence as she watches him process everything that happened tonight. "We blew it," he says quietly. She shifts her footing and shakes her head. Katherine… Katherine was in on this. Where was she? Why wasn't she here?

"Where's Katherine?"

"She ran for the hills!" He exclaims, as if she should have already known. "Like usual." His face is twisted into a sick mask. "The _minute_ things got bad. But who blames her? Klaus would have crushed her." Damon walks toward her now, bourbon glass and bottle in his hands. His eyes turn desperate and he angerily spits, "I had him Elena, I had _Klaus_." He blows up in her face. She doesn't know how to respond to this. To him. She understands he is upset, confused, betrayed, mortified, and everything else you could possibly feel. She knows because she feels it too. But this, him shouting at her…she almost flinches.

_It's Damon_ she reminds herself. _He won't hurt you._

"This could have all been over!" He swings around and throws the bottle of bourbon into the fire. An explosion erupts and she jumps, the sudden flame causing slight pain to her eyes. He needs to calm down. He needs to think clearly. Don't let him get upset. When he gets upset, he does stupid things. Guide him.

"Hey!" she calls, reaching out for him. "Damon, hey-" He shrugs her arm off violently and a rush of rejection flows through her. He didn't want her to be by him, he didn't want her help… but she has to. "Hey." she says now, more a demand than a request.

It was an impulse, a simple touch caused by closeness and the sense of attachment. This was Damon. This was her Damon. The Damon that had carried her home numerous of times. The Damon that had promised to never leave her. The Damon she promised she would be there for until the very end. Her hand cups his neck and she forces his eyes to look at her. His breath, the bourbon, is now stronger than before. And yet it is a scent that brings her safety, because it is his scent. Her stomach reacts strangely to his gaze, the mysterious blue pool that are his eyes melting into hers.

She doesn't think much of these feelings, of course. She has spent so long ignoring them that the feeling seems to be a recognized one. Feeling fluttery and nervous around him was a common thing. "Listen to me…we'll survive this."

Already the mood in the room has changed. It is only them. Only blue eyes and brown, only a girl and a vampire. His face is soft and softening as each word that spills from her mouth eases his conscience and his emotions. He is suddenly no longer angry but at peace because a beautiful angel is touching him. Where her hands are, his skin burns, reacting as it normally does when she touches him. It is a fiery feeling based on desire and longing. Like the nervousness with Elena, he has grown custom to this feeling. However he chooses not to ignore it.

Her voice is a whisper. "We always survive."

The expression on his face is too much to bear for her. She frowns, looking at him desperately yet helplessly. The pain is evident but then again, she was always the master at reading his facial expressions in correspondance to his emotions. But this time is different. Much different. "Trust me," she begs, eyes giving away nothing but honesty.

"I'm never getting Stefan back." he says quietly, consistantly searching her face. He fears this will be the end of Elena. She will break down, won't she? He promised her. He would bring him back from the edge. From damn it, why did Stefan have be so difficult? Why the hell couldn't he just get his humanity back and take this girl that is so beautiful and madly in love with him? Looking at her now, he feels heavy in his heart. If she were ever his, even just once, he would cherish every opportunity to be with her.

His brother is an idiot.

She lowers her eyes as he says these words. She can't blame Damon. He has done his hardest for her. She knows he has. _He's tried. He's failed._

"You know that, don't you?"

She brings her eyes back to his again, falling back into them. Looking at his face, his vulnerability, she realizes she isn't the only one suffering from a loss. Damon has lost his brother. His only family. She has to be less selfish. This isn't just about her love for Stefan anymore. This is about Damon….and the best thing to do would be, "Then we'll let him go."

They fall confidently off of her tongue. Damon, who had been looking at the floor with such guilt and remorse for not being able to fulfill his promise, looked up at her in surprise. "Okay?"

This can't be real. Elena wouldn't give up on Stefan. Not this easily. Not like this. The way she says 'Okay?' makes him wonder if she's only saying these things to make him feel better.

"We'll have to let him go." She utters.

He stares at her, wondering where she's come from and how he's in her almost-embrace right now. What did Stefan do to mess up this girl so much? He sees her, sees past all of her, and finds a girl completely broken inside. Yet she is also the girl to wake up and smile because she knows she can't bring everyone else down. He simply nods to her, agreeing. They must let him go. There was no other choice, was there? No. Stefan had made his choice. He chose Klaus. He chose his humanity back. His freedom.

They both look down at the same time, a sorrowful expression printed upon both of their faces. Her hands are locked around his neck and she doesn't remove them. They meet each other once more. Their closeness is quickly overwhelming, but neither of them move. They can feel the electricity building between them. The tension. The attraction..

_Why doesn't she walk away?_

Because this time it is different. She needs this. She needs him. Not in a physical way, but in a way where she can't breathe anymore. She can't do it. After everything that was planned. All the precautions. They had Klaus. This could all be over.

She looks at him and realizes that he is still very much alive and in her arms. She begins to speak and he looks at her innocently. "Stefan stopped you…..you were going to use the dagger." It isn't a question.

"Yes." he nods, not knowing where this direction is going.

Suddenly she feels furious. He was going to leave her. He was going to die. He was willing to die. Her chest begins to heave as the sobs emerge from deep within her throat. They break free and there she is, sobbing literally in his face. He frantically asks her whats wrong, though he knows that _everything _is wrong.

"You would of died, Damon. The dagger …it would of killed you both." Tears spill over and race down her cheeks. Her grip on his neck tightens. His brow creases. "What if Stefan didn't stop you? You wouldn't be here. How…" her tone is desperate, "How could you do that to me? You were going to do that?"

He drops his glass and uses both thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Elena..Elena, wrong dagger. The dagger to be used on Klaus wasn't the same dagger dipped in the ash. I wouldn't be gone. Only Klaus would."

She continues to cry, even though the news is good. But still, it feels as though she's almost lost him. "I can't lose you."

He remembers saying the same to her, so he gives her the same reply. "You won't. I promised you…I'm never going to leave you again. I intend to keep that promise, above all."

She looks over him, trying to discover where and when she started needing Damon like a backbone. When did he become so important? When, above everything, was she afraid of losing him? And now she wraps her whole body around him, hugging him. Truly hugging him. At first he doesn't do anything but stands there until his body loosens and he wraps his arms around her snugly. She feels perfect here. His strong arms are around her, making her feel like not even Klaus could touch her. Like Stefan couldn't. Like Katherine couldn't. The smell of his skin is enchanting, a wood smell mixed with a fine cologne. It's rather delicious and she tucks her head into his neck, squeezing him tighter.

"We'll be okay." She whispers into him.

"We'll be okay." he repeats.


End file.
